INTERVIEW: Cardi B Opens Up About Debut Album 'Invasion Of Privacy'

posted by Isha Thorpe -

Apr 6, 2018

Ladies and gentlemen, Cardi B has officially released her debut studio album, Invasion Of Privacy. Cue the alarms because it’s fire!

Before Cardi became a Grammy-nominated rapper, she was just a regular, degular, shmegular chick from Bronx, New York. Her social media presence was larger than an average user’s with stars like Taraji P. Henson following Cardi on IG back in the days when she didn't have as many fans. People from all over the world grew attracted to the now-artist because of her unfiltered, non sugarcoated opinions about the world around her. From discussing men, relationships, women, getting money and more; Cardi was a star well before she even hit the studio.

But, we’re extremely happy that she did. Once she decided to become a rapper, Cardi busted her behind to get people to respect her music. She even starred on hit VH1 series “Love And Hip Hop” to make people see her rapping talents. But, after two seasons, Cardi moved on from the show and that’s when things really started blowing up.

After much more hard work and mixtape releases, Cardi eventually dropped her first official single, “Bodak Yellow,” which broke record after record when it came out, eventually peaking at the No. 1 position on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. From there, Cardi’s reign has not been letting up! After sitting at the No. 1 position for three weeks, “Bodak Yellow” became the longest-running chart-topper ever on the Hot 100 charts for an unaccompanied female rapper. It beat Lauryn Hill’s 1998 single “Doo Wop (That Thing),” which was in the same spot for only two weeks.

On top of that, Cardi’s first five singles; “Bodak Yellow,” Bruno Mars' “Finesse (Remix),” G-Eazy's “No Limit,” Migos' “MotorSport,” and “Bartier Cardi,” were all top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop charts at once. This achievement made the rapper the third act ever and the first woman in history to reach this milestone. Cardi had to beat Beyoncé’s previous record of four songs on the charts at the same time, to accomplish this.

Seeing how hard the recording artist has worked to reach this point in her life, we couldn't be any more proud of her. That’s why we couldn't wait to hear the star’s grand debut studio album. Consisting of 13 tracks, Cardi's new album is sure to snatch wigs, as soon as the beat of each song drops. Some guests on the project include Migos, Chance The Rapper, SZA, Kehlani, YG, and more.

So, of course, iHeartRadio had to speak to Cardi about her first album! In our conversation, the star discussed the emotions she felt when she recorded the album, how the Bardi Gang motivates her to keep going, her message to haters, what makes her an “emotional gangsta” and so much more.

What emotions are you feeling now that your debut album is finally here?

The emotions that I have now that my debut album is here [are] No. 1: relief. It's like I just handed in the project that you hand in after Easter break. And I also feel a little bit anxiety. I'm nervous... This is my biggest project and I put a lot of work in it. I just hope that people appreciate it and people appreciate all the sleepless nights that I had to record this album.

What are you most proud of from the project?

The thing that I'm most proud of [from] my project is that I could show people that I could do different types of music. I felt like people [were] boxing me [in] and think that I could do like a certain type of sound. And I just wanted to show people that, no, I could do different things. And then on top of that, I'm proud that I could be a woman in my album, you know? A lot of people think that I'm just this girl with no feelings. I hate admitting it, but I do have feelings. I am a woman, at the end of the day. I do have emotions, and I'm glad that I could pour it out in my album, in my body of work.

What were the hardest songs to record? What were the easiest?

The hardest songs to record for me [were] the ones that I had to be extremely melodic in. For example, 'Be Careful With Me,' 'Thru Your Phone,' and 'Privacy.' When it came to 'Be Careful With Me,' I really wanted to do the hook... I don't want it to sound very sing-y. So, I really was trying to make sure it didn't sound like I was trying to sing, but still with the melody, like an open letter. And then, you know, 'Thru Your Phone,' I used to sing in high school. But, I kind of lost it. I don't do it anymore, as often. So, I had to take a whole lot of takes, until I [got] the hook perfect like I [wanted] it. And the easiest records were everything else, "Get Up 10," "Money Bag," "Came Thru Drippin.'" Songs that I could rap [on], it was just a breeze for me. (laughs)

How did your fans motivate you, while making your album?

They motivate me because it's like sometimes I be thinking like, "Is it worth me doing the album? People got so many things to say about me, I feel like a lot of people don't like me. Is it gonna do good?" But then, I see my fans wanting and pressuring me for [an] album, and it's like, you know what? I have to do it for them. I gotta do it for Bardi Gang! Gang, gang, gang! And that's how they motivate me. They motivate me so much. They just motivate me to even be positive in life.

As an artist, as a person that is in the spotlight of fame, this could be really depressing. It could get you down, and it's like your fans remind you, "Listen, you're not here because everybody hates, you're here because people love you more than they hate you." So, they motivate me, not even with the album, just in life period.

What makes you an “emotional gangsta”?

I'm a hood girl... I like to think that I'm the type of person that just don't fall in love, or I'm like the type of person that feel like they don't take bull crap from men. Or I like to think like, I'm the one that don't get her feelings hurt. But, I'm a Libra. So, you know I'm very sensitive in a weird type of way. Like, I'm a gangsta. I will pop on you, but it's like, I also have a soft side, understanding side. And that's what makes me an emotional gangsta.

You proudly rep The Bronx. What’s the weirdest/most annoying thing about the fame you’ve gained?

The weirdest and most annoying thing that I gained from fame is just people pressuring you. I feel like I don't have any privacy. I don't even know who to trust around me anymore because there's always a story around me and it's just like, who's saying these type of things?

I also don't like how there's people that never even met me, that's always commenting about me. They're saying mean things about me, or they just make an assumption of the type of person that I am, and they don't even know me. I feel like you ask a regular person on the street, "Why don't you like Cardi B?" And they wouldn't even have a right answer because they just don't know me. And that's the thing that the weirdest and the most annoying thing about fame... People always in your business. It's just annoying.

What message do you have for the haters who doubt you or say you’re not going to keep winning?

The message that I have for the haters and people that doubt me, and people that think I'm not gonna win, I just want to tell you this: The more you hate, the more I want to prove things to you and the more I prove things to you, it makes me feel good. Y'all give me the power because if everybody loves me and if everybody keep telling me that you winning, I would feel like I don't have to work so hard. So, when a hater talks bad about me, I feel like I gotta keep proving things to them. So, it makes me want to work harder... and that's why I be winning. Thank you. (laughs)